could practically feel the agitation all about me, trying to seep in through my pores. Fights would break out among our troops as the waiting turned maddening. The turgid air flayed against our sanity. Again and again, war room meetings were held to go over the plan, the defences and the training of recruits reminded of their duties. All of it done to repress the knotted sense of unease within. Thus, when we heard the sound of the enemy marching in during the afternoon, all of our bodies tensed simultaneously. I could feel it, the way our gazes wordlessly danced from one to the other. The
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